


Feeling Thankful

by WilSon1D



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: America, Being away from home, College, First Dates, Holidays, M/M, New Friends, New love, Strangers to Lovers, Thanksgiving Dinner, feeling alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:26:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2858972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WilSon1D/pseuds/WilSon1D
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Liam is in America for college, he isn't able to get home for Thanksgiving. He's feeling lonely. That is, until he meets a handsome man in the grocery store who invited him over for dinner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feeling Thankful

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this around Thanksgiving, but haven't had a chance to type it up and post it until now! I hope you all like it. I didn't read through it (other than doing a spelling/grammar check, so any mistakes are entirely my own; and I apologize for them. Thanks! :)

It was the first year that Liam wouldn’t be home with his family for Thanksgiving. He felt so upset about it that he had wallowed in his room for days before the “big day”. Talking to his mom and sisters on the phone only made those feelings worse. So, in the few hours of clarity that he had, he decided that he wouldn’t talk to his family the day of Thanksgiving; maybe he wouldn’t even talk to them the day after. His fingers sadly itched to dial the numbers that were so deeply engraved into his mind after using them so many times over the years. He used them in the last four months more than he ever had in his entire life. That’s what happens when you choose to go to college in a completely different world from home.

 

It was strange; he never would have pictured himself in this position – leaving home and his family to travel to America. But he did it. He changed his mind in his last year of school in Wolverhampton. He had, from the advice of his mother, planned to go to community school for his upper levels. That would’ve made him only a short drive from home. Over the weeks, the months, as graduation approached, Liam’s mind shifted; and it had shifted gradually. It hadn’t been anywhere near a rash or spontaneous decision. Applying for school in D.C. was just another step toward making his final decision. Hiding this from his mother had been a struggle; honestly, that would be an understatement. But when the letter finally came, it was just four weeks before the semester would start – he had applied to the school late of course. His mind was unable to come to a final decision about whether or not to apply until it was almost too late. The nerves were sky high as he grabbed the mail for the day, shuffled through the letters and noticed one from D.C. University. Dropping the rest of the mail into the basket his mother kept on the table by the door, he had nearly run to his room to open his letter – hopefully of acceptance into the school; admittance into what he hoped would soon be “his” school.

 

Time seemed to fly by after his heart-pounding experience while opening his acceptance letter. His ears had been full of blood, and his heartbeat echoed through his entire body, thrumming loudly in anticipation and nervousness. After he got knocked out of his daze, the days got shorter. The time he had to spend with his family got shorter.

 

Explaining to his family his full intent to leave home in a few short weeks was an experience that both he never wanted to forget, yet one that he wished he could never think or speak of again. All in all, his family had been supportive, maybe even too supportive. His parents jumped at the tuition bill – meaning they jumped at the chance for him to go to D.C. His room and board, his tuition, everything would be paid for by his parents. While at school, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. For that, he couldn’t be more thankful.

 

Thinking about his thanks, for his family and all they’ve done for him, made Thanksgiving even harder to deal with if that were even possible. So as he woke up on Thanksgiving morning, smile on his face, the smile faded as he realized 2 things: 1) he was alone, and 2) he didn’t have anything in his apartment to eat for the holiday. Getting out of bed to greet the day, he groaned as he decided he would have to go to the store. He flopped onto the bed for a second time when he realized how crazy the store might be; he knew how over-the-top people were about their holidays…especially here in America.

 

Pulling on sweats and a t-shirt, then boots and a jacket, he considered himself ready to face the masses; with all but a little hope in his body that he could just get in and get out in no time at all. Aisle by aisle he went, searching high and low for something he deemed edible enough and desirable enough to eat on Thanksgiving. On the drive to the store, he feared that it would be closed; it was the holiday after all. To his surprise, the store was open, only for a few hours he noticed, and this was just another thing he could add to his list of things to be thankful for. It hadn’t been a long-standing tradition or anything, but this year in particular he had been keeping a list. It was a list of all the positive, generous, and overall just wonderful things that had happened to him. It was this list that he looked at every night before sleeping, adding anything worthy of his praises. Stupid as it seemed to anyone that wasn’t Liam, he could only smile as he reminded himself that these things, these happenstances, were what helped get him from one day to the next. Without the generosity of the people he’s come across, he would have hopped a plane to Wolverhampton no more than a week after his arrival in D.C. But he was here, in the grocery store, by himself.

 

He found himself in the frozen food aisle before he knew it. No way would he get the home cooked meal that his mom made; he would just have to make do.

 

“I wouldn’t pick that if I were you.” A deep voice said from behind him. He nearly dropped the turkey TV dinner in his hands as he turned around to see a gorgeous 20-something man standing there, a basket of food hanging off his arm.

 

“Oh, I shouldn’t?” Liam said with a faint blush covering his cheeks.

 

“No. No one should have to eat a frozen dinner on Thanksgiving.”

 

“Well, I’m…I’m on my own this year. And of course, I can’t really cook.” Liam said nervously. This hot guy was going to laugh at him for being alone.

 

“Well, I can cook and I’m also on my own this year. So, why not be on our own, together?” Tall, dark, and handsome asked. Time slowed down for a few seconds, and he barely noticed the sound the box in his hands made as it made impact with the floor. The hot guy bending over to pick the box up was what he noticed; lean muscles that stretched underneath the black t-shirt, small slivers of skin exposed.

 

“So hot.” Liam whispered without realizing.

 

“What was that?” the other man asked, a smirk on his tanned face.

 

“Um, aren’t you cold? Without a jacket, I mean.” Liam said, mentally slapping himself for his idiotic thoughts.

 

“I like the cold, so no. I’m perfect. But thanks for the concern. So…dinner?” Liam’s mouth opened a bit, still in shock that this complete stranger was basically asking him on a date. At least, that’s what he was hoping it was.

 

“Is…is that such a good idea…?”

 

“Zayn. My name is Zayn Malik,” the man, Zayn, said while putting his hand out for Liam to shake.

 

“Liam. Liam Payne.” He responded, shaking Zayn’s hand and hoping the other man couldn’t feel how shaky his hand was. Without noticing until the last second, Zayn had restocked the TV dinner in the freezer behind him, picked up his basket of groceries that had laid in wake on the floor, and put a hand at the small of Liam’s back to lead him toward the checkouts. Liam was still shell-shocked. He couldn’t do much other than to stay still and silent while the sweet older lady rang up their, Zayn’s, food. When everything was ready to go, Liam felt warmth spread through his body again as Zayn’s hand returned to the place where he felt the handprint would be engrained for days.

 

“If I let you meet me back at my place in a few hours, will you actually show up?” Zayn asked. Liam could tell that he was the nervous one now; he was afraid that Liam wouldn’t show up with his invitation.

 

“No.” Liam said, and Zayn’s face immediately fell. Liam had to backtrack quickly. “Sorry, I meant, no I won’t bail on you. I would love to come to your place for Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you for the kind offer, Zayn.” The smile that lights up Zayn’s face tells him that he made the right decision. There was absolutely nothing wrong with going to a stranger’s hours to eat a meal that said stranger was making for him. At least, he hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Because even thought he never would’ve imagined that this was what he would be doing on Thanksgiving, his first one in America no less, he was actually thrilled to have been invited into a gorgeous man’s home for the evening.

 

So that’s how he found himself standing in front of his closet, freshly showered and shaven, debating what to wear. Liam decided that nice jeans, a dress shirt, and maybe even a tie would be good enough. Black slacks would maybe be a little too nice for a dinner at home. Dressed and ready a few moments later, he made sure to put on his favorite cologne. Knowing that Zayn was a very attractive man, he couldn’t help but wonder if anything more than just dinner would happen tonight. The cologne was just an extra touch in case anything else was going to happen. Maybe this would even draw Zayn in more. Liam could only push those less than pure thoughts to the back of his mind. He was never like that; never slept with tons of boys or had more than just a little bit of experience. It was nothing that he had ever been ashamed of, yet it wasn’t something he cared obsessively about either. Things would just happen as they happened. Come as it may, Liam would not obsess about how the night would end, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

Five minutes before he was set to leave for Zayn’s apartment, he realized that he really should’ve asked Zayn if there was something he could bring to dinner. Instead, now he had to scavenge his own apartment for anything nice enough to bring. The cupboards had almost nothing in them, except a bottle of red wine that his mother sent over for the holidays. All he hoped was the Zayn liked red wine. With no other gifts to present, he picks up the bottle, his wallet, and keys before locking his door and walking to his car.

 

Only supposed to take 20 minutes, Liam started to get nervous once it started to take longer. He thought he knew where he was going; apparently he was mistaken. 32 minutes after leaving his apartment, his car was parked and he was walking into the complex before him. 4F was the apartment he needed; he was buzzed in almost immediately and smiled at that. Knocking on 4F made his heart practically beat out of his chest; nearly stopping as the door opened to reveal Zayn in tight black jeans, a black button-up with rolled up sleeves and an apron tied around his waist.

 

“Liam. You made it!” Zayn sighed happily.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I got a little lost. I hope you didn’t think I was standing you up.” Liam said, a slight frown on his face.

 

“Only a little bit…but you’re here now,” Zayn says, reaching a hand out to beckon Liam inside. Liam followed and remembers his gift.

 

“I didn’t really have much, but here.” Liam presented Zayn with the bottle of wine. “To say thank you.” Zayn took the bottle and placed it on the counter.

 

“No, Liam…Thank you.” Zayn said with a smile. “So dinner is almost ready. You can make yourself at home while I finish things up.”

 

“Do you need any help?” Liam asked politely.

 

“I think I’ve got everything covered. Just have to carve the turkey and take the pie out of the oven.” So Liam watched him as he did it. Watched the muscles in his arm move and bulge as he carved the turkey; he couldn’t help but bite his lip as Zayn bent over to pull the pie from the oven. Zayn had an amazing ass, not that Liam had seen much of it. But in that moment, he needed to think of things other than having Zayn fuck him, or fucking Zayn himself. Otherwise, this would be a very awkward dinner and a very interesting couple of hours.

 

An hour later, Liam was stuffed. He honestly couldn’t even imagine eating another bite, and felt sort of gross sitting here. It wasn’t that he felt gross in general; he knew that he was an attractive man. He wouldn’t deny that, but Zayn was an even more attractive man than himself. Even Zayn hadn’t eaten as much as he had, and he looked way better. So, in this moment, Liam felt a little self-conscious. But Zayn felt elated. Happy that Liam was here and that he enjoyed the meal.

 

“That was really good. I would almost say it was as good as my mum’s.” Liam said pleasantly.

 

“Thank you, Liam. That’s very kind of you.”

 

“So…” Liam left his sentence hanging. He had no clue what Zayn was expecting, or if he had other plans for the night.

 

“Would you like to stay and watch a film or something?” Zayn asked; Liam could tell that Zayn’s voice held a bit of nerves. At least he wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

 

“I…I would like that.” Liam answered, getting one of Zayn’s breathtaking smiles in return.

 

“More wine? Or would you prefer something else?”

 

“More wine, please.” Liam said, smiling shyly. Zayn moved to the kitchen to fill their glasses once more while Liam moseys into the living room. He looked at pictures on the walls; there were many pictures of Zayn with girls.

 

“Those are my sisters. I have a bunch of ‘em.” Liam startled when he hears Zayn’s voice less than 12 inches from his ear. Zayn laughed a bit. “Sorry.” Liam blushes at his jumpy behavior, taking the wine glass from Zayn’s hand and taking a sip.

 

“What’re we watching?”

 

“You can pick.” Zayn said, pointing toward a shelf across the room. 10 minutes later, Zayn and Liam are sitting side-by-side on the leather couch, wine glasses on the coffee table in front of them, and the opening credits to Star Trek booming through the speakers. As much as Liam loves this movie, the first 20 minutes were more unbearable than ever before. After 25 minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore. Leaning forward he grabbed his wine glass, chugging the rest before replacing his glass in the spot it was in before. He turned to Zayn, took a deep breath and let it fly.

 

“How do you want the night to end, Zayn?”

 

“What do you mean?” Zayn asked, turning more to face Liam.

 

“I mean…you invited me to dinner, a complete stranger, and you’re really hot…” Liam started.

 

“You aren’t necessarily a complete stranger…I’ve noticed you at the grocery store more than a few times; always found you very attractive.”

 

“So…you want…?” Liam questioned again.

 

“I want you. Or whatever you’re willing to give me honestly.” Without any more hesitation, and only a bit of nerves, Liam decided to go for it again. Hand moving to Zayn’s smooth jaw, he turned Zayn’s head even further toward his own; moving to his knees, he pressed closer to Zayn, pressing his lips firmer to the other man’s.

 

Liam felt Zayn’s strong hands grip onto him, one sliding to the back of his neck, the other tangling in whatever hair that could be grabbed onto on top of Liam’s head. Scalp slightly tingling, Liam didn’t hold back, opening his mouth just slightly to run his tongue over Zayn’s bottom lip. Zayn all but whimpered and Liam forced his tongue inside Zayn’s mouth. Zayn didn’t exactly object; especially not when he curled his tongue around Liam’s and rose to his knees to mimic Liam’s curren

 

“Yes. Yes.” Zayn said breathlessly.

 

“Yes?” Liam responded in confusion, still kissing Zayn hotly.

 

“This is what I want. This is exactly how I want the night to end.”

 

“Just this? You aren’t thinking of doing anything else?” Liam said as he started nibbling on Zayn’s jaw.

 

“No. I mean, not until right now,” Zayn moaned as Liam dragged his front teeth over the sensitive skin of Zayn’s neck.

 

“I’m never forward like this, but you are so gorgeous.” Liam said, ceasing the assault on Zayn’s neck to look him in the eyes. “And I feel like I need to thank you for your generosity in some way.”

 

“Not like this though. You don’t have to thank me with…”

 

“Might as well. I’ve been thinking about it enough today. Plus I want to get everything I can with someone as hot as you before I leave and never see you again.” Liam started kissing down Zayn’s neck again; feeling pressure on his shoulders though, he pulled back.

 

“You don’t want to see me again after tonight?”

 

“Well…”  
  
“Maybe you should leave then.” Zayn whispered, gracefully standing and gathering their wine glasses in his hands to bring them back to the kitchen. Zayn hear the slight pitter-patter of Liam’s footsteps as he’s followed into the other room.

 

“Wait. What just happened? I thought…never mind. I’ll go.” Liam said, very disappointed at this turn of events. Being the sensitive guy that he was, his eyes clouded over a bit. Nearly running into a doorframe, he felt himself be pulled back against a hard, warm body. “I’m sorry. I’m almost gone.” Liam nearly cried in frustration and embarrassment. Strong arms were turning him around and then surrounded him; softness was felt and heard by his ear.

 

“I’m sorry, Liam. I should be the one apologizing. I mean, what must you think of me? Asking you to my apartment when you don’t know me and when I, sadly, don’t know you? I’m being rude. I’ve just been admiring you from afar for a while. I thought this was finally my chance. But we can forget everything. You go home, okay? You go home and just forget all about me. I can’t possibly be good for you.” Zayn said, gentle hand gliding up and down Liam’s back comfortingly.

 

“Stop it.” Liam said, pressing even closer to Zayn and looking up at him. “I didn’t have to come here tonight. I could’ve stayed home alone. But you seemed sweet. Flirtatious, but sweet all the same. It was my decision, okay? And I didn’t really mean that back there, I just didn’t know what you expected from tonight; what you expected from me.” Liam, hand shaking, lifted his right hand so his fingers trailed down Zayn’s cheek. “You are beautiful, Zayn. Please don’t think less of me for what happened earlier. Being honest, I’ve only been with a few people, and I was in relationship with all of them. I’ve never…I’m sorry.” Liam finished talking, blushing and dropping his hand from Zayn’s face. Liam felt warm fingers lift his chin, eyes meeting the soft, tender one’s of Zayn. A whimper could just barely be heard as soft lips were once again upon Liam’s own full lips. Liam swore it was a sound he made, but when he heard it again, maybe it had been Zayn. He didn’t care; he only cared that Zayn was kissing him once again. He only wished that this feeling would never stop.

 

So when it felt like Liam was floating, he kept kissing Zayn; his fingers clutching at any scrap of Zayn that he could reach. Strong fingers left goose bumps in their wake as they swept down Liam’s side; slow and sure, Zayn continue his path, down Liam’s side, over his hip, fingers danced briefly on his thigh before moving back up. Liam’s body was on fire; his body thrumming with an excitement that he couldn’t remember feeling before. He nearly groaned as Zayn’s fingers left his thigh and crawled back up to the width of his shoulders. A thigh moved, pushing between Liam’s and easing the pressure that had previously been rising between his legs.

 

“Zayn,” Liam sighed, pressing the center of his body harder into the strong thigh pressed between his legs.

 

“Yes, Liam?”

 

“Please. Can we do something? You’re killing me here.” Liam whined.

 

“As long as we get a couple things cleared up first. I’m not looking for a one-night stand.” Zayn said. Leg coming from between Liam’s, Zayn planted both feet firmly on the ground, steadying himself and sliding his arms around Liam’s body to clasp his hands together at the small of Liam’s back.

 

“I’m not either. I promise; I just…”

 

“Shush. We’re on the same page with that, okay? Next – I like you, Liam. I want to try seeing where this goes. I want to be able to spend a lot more time with you. After tonight, is that something you would want?”

 

“Yes, it is.” Liam whispered and in the next second, his lips are covered. Liam slides his hands up Zayn’s arms, locking his fingers together behind Zayn’s neck. Liam pulled away from the kiss and looked down almost shyly.

 

“What is it? You have the right to change your mind.” Zayn said, thumbs rubbing over the dimples of Liam’s back.

 

“No. I’m not changing my mind about you. I just…maybe we shouldn’t…we could maybe just take this slow?”

 

“So you don’t want to have sex with me tonight?” Zayn asked just to clarify.

 

“I do. I do want to…I just don’t want to ruin anything before it even starts.” Liam said, biting his lip.

 

“Well there’s no way that would happen, but we can take this slow. I have no problem with that. So…should I walk you to the door and say goodnight?”

 

“Thank you, Zayn.” They both smile at one another before Liam is being guided to the front door.

 

“Thanks for coming over, Liam.” Zayn said.

 

“No, thank you for everything. I appreciate you inviting me over. Everything was absolutely amazing.” Liam said, not wanting to leave, but knowing he needed to.

 

“Can I kiss you goodnight?” Zayn asked.

 

“Such a gentleman,” Liam whispered, leaning forward to kiss Zayn softly.

 

“I’ll call you. We can go out next time.”  


“Sounds great. Kiss me again and then I’ll leave.” Zayn chuckled before kissing Liam slowly, thoroughly; a kiss that made Liam’s toes curl, his stomach clench. “Okay, okay, I’m leaving. But first, it’s tradition in my family to say what we’re thankful for. This year I am incredibly thankful for you, Zayn. I would’ve been alone today, but I wasn’t. I’m not. I’m with you. So, you are what I’m most thankful for this Thanksgiving.”

 

With another kiss, on the cheek, Liam smiled and grabbed his coat before leaving and driving home with a smile on his face.

 

THE END.

 


End file.
